Emergent complexity is generally the idea that many parts come together as a single “body” in order to do things those parts cannot do on their own, directed by their collective “mind.” These parts, what we call “Lower-Order Bodies” (LOB), create “black boxes” for the operation of their emergent entity, what we call a “Higher-Order Conductor” (HOC). We refer to them as black boxes because the LOB’s internal workings are generally unknown to the HOC. The array of things the mind might direct the body to do through the use of those black boxes is known as the mind’s “option space,” a menu of tasks the LOB is capable of doing inline with the HOC’s objectives.
Imagine Lower-Order Bodies as a synthesizer’s controllers, those switches, knobs, sliders, keys, etc., and the Higher-Order Conductor as a musician’s usage of the synthesizer’s algorithm through these black-box controllers. Instead of having to directly operate the synthesizer’s interconnected modules – working the oscillators, filters, sequencers, etc. – the complex behaviors are compressed into these simple switches, sliders, etc. Music is created by the interplay between musician and modules through the algorithm – the musician employs the synthesizer’s complex functionality despite having no clue as to its internal circuitry. The real magic happens when that internal option space produces desirable, even surprising effects the musician could never have imagined.
Preference and freewill are foundational to the NU Model. The HOC isn’t a dictator, micromanaging the LOB, but functions like an organizing algorithm. Instead of forcing the LOB, the HOC “bends” option space, obscuring some options as less attractive, while presenting others as more. The mind influences the body through awareness, rather than direct control, preserving the core aspects of freewill and preference. The body’s actions are ultimately a function of the independent conversation between the Lower-Order Bodies themselves, only emerging once consensus reaches a tipping-point – a catchy meme suddenly going viral.
Metaphorically, the bending of option space is like directing an ant across a mattress, not by pushing its tiny body, but by pressing one’s finger into the surface near the ant, creating a depression along the intended direction of travel. If the little guy really doesn’t want to move towards the finger’s temporary “well,” it must actively resist, otherwise, it passively walks with the motion of gravity towards the spot where the finger presses.
At any level of complexity, a Lower-Order Body will be the Higher-Order Conductor for its nested, or internal, LOB. This “Russian doll,” hierarchical structure of scale repeatedly compresses information from one level to the next, giving rise to both emergent abilities not otherwise realized, but also, complications not otherwise encountered. Without emergence, we would not be able to do the simplest of things, from picking up a cup to comprehending the cacophony of visual data from our retinas. In either instance, the irreducible amount of information would overwhelm even the most sophisticated system.
The sheer amount of data involved in picking up a cup, for example, includes all the force levels and timing sequences required to coordinate a myriad of subtle muscle contractions, tendon positions, and sensory-feedback mechanisms into a single, elegant operation – a primary reason why even the most expensive robots have historically struggled to do what a toddler might. The process of transforming irreducible data into reducible information means important stuff is potentially omitted or added, leading to, for instance, optical illusions – seeing duck in the drawing of a rabbit, or a “face” constructed from a car’s headlights and grill. Just as AI training data influences the AI’s output, so do the training stories of a human affect those LOB models, highlighting some information as more important than other information – how the photo of a so-so, blue and black dress transforms into glittering gold and white when the occasion demands, or why a cop’s panicked brain might turn a common cellphone into a deadly handgun. Through the expense of freewill, however, we might update those models, and change our behavior, but it isn’t easy, in fact, it’s uncomfortable, at times, painful.
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